FovolabFovolab aspires to push the boundaries of understanding perceptual experience – how we perceive and are aware of the world.http://hdl.handle.net/10369/58852018-12-19T09:51:00Z2018-12-19T09:51:00ZDouble vision as a pictorial depth cuePepperell, RobertRuschkowski, Anjahttp://hdl.handle.net/10369/47952017-03-30T15:57:48Z2013-02-01T00:00:00ZDouble vision as a pictorial depth cue
Pepperell, Robert; Ruschkowski, Anja
'Double images' are a little-noticed feature of human binocular vision caused by non-convergence of the eyes outside of the point of fixation. Double vision, or psychological diplopia, is closely linked
to the perception of depth in natural vision as its perceived properties vary depending on proximity of the stimulus to the viewer. Very little attention, however, has been paid to double images in art or in scientific studies of pictorial depth. Double images have rarely been depicted and do not appear among the list of commonly cited monocular depth cues. In this study we discuss some attempts by artists to capture the doubled appearance of objects in pictures, and some of the relevant scientific
work on double vision. We then present the results of a study designed to test whether the inclusion of double images in two-dimensional pictures can enhance the illusion of three-dimensional space.
Our results suggest that double images can significantly enhance depth perception in pictures when combined with other depth cues such as blur. We conclude that double images could be added to the list of depth cues available to those wanting to create a greater sense of depth in pictures.
2013-02-01T00:00:00ZArt and externalismPepperell, Roberthttp://hdl.handle.net/10369/37132017-02-06T13:43:00Z2012-12-01T00:00:00ZArt and externalism
Pepperell, Robert
How have artists understood the relationship between the mind and the world? This paper presents statements by a number of artists that speak of how subjective experience is constituted by the unity of inner self and outer reality, or how objects in the world can acquire mental properties. I will discuss some reasons why artists hold these views and how they might contribute to the ongoing debate between internalist and externalist theories of mind. Drawing on the conception of mind-world relations attributed to artists, a way of understanding perceptual experience will be outlined that stresses the reciprocity between head-bound and world-bound processes. This approach allows the opposing, and seemingly incompatible, views of internalists and externalists to be embraced within a more inclusive schema.
2012-12-01T00:00:00ZThe perception of art and the science of perceptionPepperell, Roberthttp://hdl.handle.net/10369/37122017-03-30T13:06:20Z2012-03-09T00:00:00ZThe perception of art and the science of perception
Pepperell, Robert
For many centuries, artists have studied the nature of visual experience and how to convincingly render what we see. The results of these investigations can be found in all the countless artworks deposited in museums and galleries around the world. Works of art represent a rich source of ideas and understanding about how the world appears to us, and only relatively recently have those interested in the science of vision started to appreciate the many discoveries made by artists in this field. In this paper I will discuss some key insights into vision and perception revealed by artists, and show how they can help current thinking in science and technology about how best to understand the process of seeing. In particular, I will suggest some artistic ideas continue to present fundamental challenges to conventional ideas about the nature of visual experience and how it is represented.
A full copy of the proceedings is available from: http://dx.doi.org/10.1117/12.914774
2012-03-09T00:00:00ZThe conscious act of looking at a paintingPepperell, Roberthttp://hdl.handle.net/10369/37102017-02-07T10:25:56Z2009-01-01T00:00:00ZThe conscious act of looking at a painting
Pepperell, Robert
This paper considers what happens during the conscious act of looking at a painting. First, two widely held views about the nature of consciousness are introduced: that it’s unified and that it’s essentially rational. I then describe in some detail my experience of looking at a Monet painting, Rouen Cathedral (1892-4), and note that what I experience does not seem consistent with either of these views. In fact what I experience is a multiplicity of conflicting beliefs and thoughts, which are nevertheless co-existent. I conclude that 'normal waking, rational consciousness', as described by William James, may be better regarded as multiplicitous and often irrational, although this does not seem to pose any problem for the act of looking itself. Indeed it seems to be the very mark of lived, conscious experience.
This article was published in Consciousness Literature and the Arts in August 2009, available open access online at
https://blackboard.lincoln.ac.uk/bbcswebdav/users/dmeyerdinkgrafe/archive/pepperell2009.html
2009-01-01T00:00:00Z